Nova Scotia teen boy allegedly chained, sexually assaulted

Nova Scotia RCMP began an investigation after the 16-year-old boy knocked on a neighbour's door and asked for help. His wrists and ankles were bound in chains.

Police are seeking the public's help in a manhunt for two men wanted on charges of forcible confinement and sexual assault.

According to the RCMP, they received a call Monday at 7:15 p.m. from a resident of Upper Chelsea, Lunenburg County, concerning a boy in need of help. After officers arrived, the teen was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The boy had run down a gravel road wearing nothing but a hooded sweatshirt and arrived at the home of Alice Arnold, 78. After knocking on the door, Arnold refused to let him in but said she would call the police. She is quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying the boy said, "Don't call the police. It will make matters worse for me." He then ran off to another home where he was located by officers.

In describing the boy, Arnold said, "There were two loops of chains...and the ones around his ankles, I thought there was a padlock on them, which seemed weird to me. It's horrifying to think about."

The Chronicle Herald reports Terry Frauzel, the resident of the second home the boy ran to, as saying that the boy told him he had been held prisoner for two weeks. He escaped once before but was recaptured. Frauzel used bolt cutters to cut the chains off and is quoted as saying, "He hugged us. He was so grateful. He felt like he was finally free."

Police are looking for David James Leblanc, 47, and Wayne Alan Cunningham, 31, who rented a home down the road from Arnold and Frauzel. They believe the men are in Lunenburg County or Halifax County. Global News reports Leblanc is out on bail after being arrested in December 2010 on charges of making and distributing child pornography, sexual assault, and sexual interference. According to police, images of two boys, between the ages of two and five, were found on Leblanc's computer and storage devices. It is believed the boys are from Nova Scotia.

Police are warning citizens not to approach the men if they see them. Forensic investigators remain at the rental home where the boy was held captive.